Depressed mother who ‘stabbed her three children to death before killing herself may have wanted revenge after her partner moved out’, locals claim

Locals in a French town where a depressed mother is said to have stabbed her three children to death before being found dead herself have suggested she may have acted in revenge.

Deborah Pel, 45, allegedly killed her three children Jules, two, Noe, 11, and Victoria, 13, at their Alpine home in Taninges, southeastern France, on Tuesday before driving to nearby Switzerland where she was found dead found in her Audi SUV.

Now a resident has claimed Pel ‘wanted revenge by killing the children’ after ‘things didn’t go well with her partner’ and he moved out, according to Le Parisien.

The man who fathered the youngest child was the one who discovered the massacre in the family home, which is located fifteen kilometers from the Swiss border. Autopsies showed that the children had been stabbed to death.

Pel’s daughter Victoria had said that “her mother was not doing well, that she was depressed,” a classmate said. Pel is said to have left a letter, the contents of which are unknown.

‘I didn’t know Deborah was depressed. It is already a tragedy for her to commit suicide, but she did not have to take her children with her,” a neighbor told Le Parisien.

The house where three children were found dead is pictured in Taninges, on November 13, 2024

A supervisor closes the road to the hamlet above Taninges, French Alps, where three children were found dead the day before, November 13, 2024

The mother of three worked as a teacher and had recently transferred to a school in nearby Marnaz, reportedly after a petition from parents who said she was too strict with the children.

While teaching at the Adelin-Malgrand school in Samoëns, Pel allegedly made students stand if they “moved too much” and even “threw pencil cases in their faces,” according to a woman whose grandchildren were in Pel’s class.

‘She was not at all suited to be a teacher. She was unpleasant with children,” the grandmother told Le Parisien.

Pel’s children were found dead around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, while a manhunt for Pel was launched.

About sixty French police officers, supported by helicopters and diving teams, were searching for her.

Investigators aware of Pel’s French and Swiss citizenship asked for help in their search from Swiss authorities, who flagged her car as it entered the country.

On Wednesday morning, Swiss authorities announced that Pel’s Audi SUV had been found parked in Champery, in the canton of Valais, with the body of a woman – believed to be Pel – inside. Pel’s cause of death is currently unknown.

The motive behind the tragic murder of the three children is currently unknown.

Pel’s older children, Noe and Victoria, came from a previous relationship. She shared her youngest, Jules, with her current partner, who has not yet been publicly named.

Deborah Pel (photo) fled the town of Taninges after allegedly stabbing the three children to death on Tuesday afternoon

This photo shows the house where three children were found dead in Taninges on November 13, 2024

On Wednesday morning, Swiss authorities announced that Pel’s Audi SUV had been found parked in Champery, in the canton of Valais, with the body of a woman – believed to be Pel – inside.

The local community is in ruins after the murders.

The principal of Jacques Brel secondary school in Taninges, where the two older children were enrolled, declined to comment on the matter, following a question from a local reporter.

But one of Victoria’s classmates told Le Parisien that teachers cried and stopped classes. “A lot of students were crying in the hallways, it’s really sad,” the student added.

In the meantime, the school where Pel taught is preparing to answer questions from students and their parents.

Le Dauphiné Libéré reported that a substitute teacher has already been appointed to take charge of the class Pel taught.

‘I could never have believed she would do this. It is unimaginable,” an employee of the primary school where Pel worked told Le Parisien.

She added that Pel was “great with the kids” and was “very popular” at school.

Pel was reportedly deeply involved in the local community, particularly as a member of the Samoëns Municipal Band, and was treasurer of the town’s music school.

She was an avid flutist and received an award for her dedication to music in 2022, after 30 years of playing the flute.

French gendarmes stand guard at the entrance to the street near the location where three children were found dead in Taninges on November 12, 2024

French gendarmes stand guard at the entrance to a street, near the location where three children were found dead, in Taninges, eastern France, on November 12, 2024

The shocking massacre in the Alps comes after two small children were found decapitated in a bathtub on the French island of Guadeloupe last week.

The bodies of the mutilated siblings, aged four and thirteen months, were discovered by their father in their family home.

The children’s mother, the main suspect in the murder, was found naked and wandering the streets by two police officers after the alarm was raised.

According to French newspaper Le Parisien, the woman, believed to be in her 40s, spoke incoherently and could not explain the reasons for her actions when approached by police.

According to District Attorney Caroline Talbo, the woman was initially taken into custody and then released due to her mental condition, and has been in the hospital since.

For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit